Member Biography

Chuck Bednarik was a hero long before he reached Franklin
field at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a 20-year-old
veteran of World War II, a highly-decorated aerial gunner with
30 combat missions over Germany to his credit. The 6-3,
220-pound Bednarik proved just as devastating on the
gridiron. In a day when the rules allowed for free substitution,
Bednarik remained a 60-minute player, operating at center and
linebacker. As a senior in 1948, Bednarik won the Maxwell
Award, symbolic of the top collegiate player in America. His
performance prompted the Philadelphia Eagles to make him
their number one draft choice. When he retired from football
in 1962 he left a game that had given him two All-America
awards as a collegian, eight All-Pro awards as a professional
and world championships in 1949 and 1960. He retired as
pro-football's last two-way player. In 1969 he was voted by a
panel of sportswriters, coaches and hall of fame players as
"The Greatest Center of All-Time."